On May 14, Leonid Chamaghua became the last deputy elected to the new Abkhaz legislature, Abkhaz news agencies reported.

1389 voters in Gudauta District, west of the region’s capital Sokhumi, endorsed the candidacy of Leonid Chamagua, while his only opponent Leonid Lakerbaia, former head of the Abkhaz government, obtained 1169 votes.

34 of Sokhumi parliament’s 35 seats were filled after two rounds of elections on March 12 and March 26, while a repeat election was scheduled in one electoral district in Gudauta.

Leonid Chamagua (b. 1966, Gudauta) participated in the conflict against the central government in 1992-1993. He became a member of the Sokhumi parliament in March 2012. Chamagua specializes on social issues.

Abkhaz lawmakers are elected for a five-year term through a majoritarian system in single-mandate constituencies.

Elections in the region are denounced as illegitimate by Tbilisi and the international community, except of Russia and three other countries (Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru), which have recognized the region as an independent state.